GMG - Las Vegas Weekly

March 6, 2014

Contents of this Issue

Navigation

Page 29 of 67

30 LASVEGASWEEKLY.COM MARCH 612, 2014 TAO PHOTOGRAPH BY AL POWERS/POWERS IMAGERY
NIGHTS
A dragon lurches toward us. So does a sword-
wielding samurai, who leads the beast and the usual
squad of attractive, light-waving women. Tonight,
those luminous ladies aren't lattering a VIP or
delivering a magnum of Grey Goose—they're part
of a small parade cutting through a tight danceloor
and bewildering clubbers. It's what Mike Snedegar,
founder of Tao Group's Entertainment Marketing
department and a Tao Nightclub veteran since its
2005 opening, calls "a moment." The dragon is part
of the Venetian megaclub's new Tokyo-themed promo, Sakebomb Fridays, which symbolizes Tao's general focus shift from
celebrity hosts to something more experiential, making an unpredictable clubbing night more memorable. "That's why for
Friday we wanted to focus more on the elements of the party, because Tao is such a special room," Snedegar says. "The design
of it and the way the danceloor and tables are arranged—it holds a lot of energy." Which is present, thanks to the interaction
of sta ers dressed in party-speciic costumes and Tao's new LED screens—to say nothing of DJ Politik's blend of hip-hop, R&B
and dance-pop hits. With sister club Marquee focused on EDM, Tao remains the open-format alternative, its patronage both
grinding to Jay Z and bopping to Calvin Harris. "I think as a brand we're always looking to evolve with times," Snedegar says.
"I think we know what its for us, and we'll do those things better and better. That's why people keep coming." –Mike Prevatt
AFTER EIGHT
PLUS YEARS,
TAO STILL
SURPRISES
It has taken Victor Drai no less than four years to
bring a nightclub to the top of what will now be called the
Cromwell. But come Memorial Day Weekend, a week
after the boutique hotel is scheduled to open, clubbers
will have a new groove spot—one that will ﬂ aunt ambi-
ence and 4,500 square feet of LED screens rather than
big-name DJs. "The club has become too much like a con-
cert," says Drai, who says he'll book more modest talent.
Just outside the nightclub, the rooftop pool will give
revelers sweeping views of the Strip and the one thing
they can't get at other dayclubs: unobstructed sun visibil-
ity from opening until dusk—though 10 palm trees framing
the pool will offer some shade to swimmers.
The notion of a 24-hour party won't quite come to
fruition yet—the pool closes for a few hours before the night-
club opens—but the enduring afterhours operation will have
minor overlap with the evening festivities. Which means it's
returning to where it started: the basement, where the former
restaurant space will be refreshed but not overhauled.
So what's going into the Bally's space where Drai
currently hosts afterhours? Liaison: Drai's ﬁ rst LGBT
club—and the ﬁ rst to open in a Las Vegas casino—which
will be co-operated by a gay managing partner to be
named soon. "[The gay community] has always been
treated like second class in this town," says Michael
Gruber, partner of Drai's Management Group. "It's some-
thing we wanted to offer—a dedicated space."
There won't be any major security overhaul, despite an
incident last October where a gun-wielding man opened ﬁ re
at the Bally's club, killing one patron. "We never had an inci-
dent before," Drai says. "We handled it the way we should.
Our guys literally took bullets. It wasn't some ﬁ ght, and he
wasn't in a gang—he was just one crazy f*cker."
There will be rooftop ﬁ reworks—and we don't mean
the usual sparklers for VIPs. But like those bottles of
Belvedere, someone will have to buy them.
SIX THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT VICTOR DRAI'S
NEW NIGHTLIFE OPERATIONS
There will be rooftop ireworks BY MIKE PREVAT T
C H E C K I N G I N W I T H . . .
C O C K T A I L O F T H E W E E K
A DRINK FOR
THE PLURALITY
The Missing Apostrophe
is inspired by Caesars
Palace lore
There's a perfectly good
explanation as to why Caesars
Palace lacks an apostrophe. It's
not a grammar oversight, but
rather an omission made with
an eye toward guest satisfac-
tion. Founder Jay Sarno cleverly
removed the apostrophe from
"Caesar's Palace" to suggest
there was not "one" Caesar
but that every guest would be
treated like an emperor.
Caesars Palace drew inspira-
tion from this trivia tidbit to
name not only its new $1.3 mil-
lion Apostrophe Bar, but a drink
as well. The Missing Apostrophe
($15) is as welcoming as its par-
ent casino, featuring fragrant
fresh basil on the nose, refresh-
ing citrus notes of lime and
grapefruit, and robust oak under-
tones from Herradura Reposado
tequila. Ahhh, it feels good to be
king. –Sabrina Chapman
RECIPE:
1 ½ oz. Herradura Caesars
Palace Select Double Barrel
Reposado tequila
1 oz. agave syrup
1 oz. fresh lime juice
½ oz. CelloVia Grapefruit Ka ir
splash of Torani Ruby Red
Grapefruit syrup
pink salt
46 basil leaves (garnish)
lime wheel (garnish)
k
Half-rim a bucket glass with
pink sea salt. Add tequila, lime
juice, grapefruit ka ir and syrups
to shaker with ice. Shake. Pour
over ice. Garnish with basil leaf
and lime wheel.
> UP ON THE ROOF Victor Drai's
new nightclub promises views
and ambience to spare.
30_Nights_2_20140306.indd 30 3/4/14 3:48 PM